West Kelowna commuters seeing old orchard replaced by new wine project

The rolling hillsides of West Kelowna are bursting with new life as vineyards take root in long-fallow stretches of land.

Among the more highly visible projects is one at 2350 Boucherie Road. It runs alongside Highway 97, across from the Tow and Stow, and was once an orchard, though that was long ago.

B.C. Assessment shows it was purchased last in 2018 and according to a land title search, it’s owned by Burnt Timber Estate Winery.

The development itself, however, is in the hands of Jason Parkes Customs group, which run the Hatch winery.

While Parkes said that the project is far from being complete, a sparkling wine vineyard is currently being planted.

“The property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve and the vineyard planting currently underway is very much in line with Council’s policies in support of agriculture in our community,” Mark Koch, West Kelowna’s director of development services, said in an emailed statement.

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